Power station harnesses Sun's rays (BBC) {solar thermal tower}

[eppur_se_muova]

By David Shukman
Science correspondent, BBC News, Seville

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It is Europe's first commercially operating power station using the Sun's energy this way and at the moment its operator, Solucar, proudly claims that it generates 11 MW of electricity without emitting a single puff of greenhouse gas.

It works by focusing the reflected rays on one location, turning water into steam and then blasting it into turbines to generate power.
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So far, only one field of mirrors is working. But to one side I could see the bulldozers at work clearing a second, larger field - thousands more mirrors will be installed. Ultimately, the entire plant should generate as much power as is used by the 600,000 people of Seville.
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What happens when the Sun goes down? Enough heat can be stored in the form of steam to allow generation after dark - only for an hour now but maybe longer in future.

Anyway, the solar power is most needed in the heat of summer when air conditioners are working flat out.




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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6616651.stm

The home page is http://www.solucar.es/